Cheating is a horrible word. It means to act dishonestly in order to gain an advantage. It can be in games, in love, but can you cheat on a diet? What are you gaining? You gain a momentary pleasure in giving in to a craving, but the results are not positive for long! One of the reasons many people say keto is not sustainable is because you can’t live on that restricted diet without cheating. We make choices every day about what we eat, but is it cheating?
Dieticians Recommend the Healthy Eating Plate
The healthy eating plate is what many health professionals will call the ideal way of eating. It basically divides your plate into 3 sections – a half of the plate and then 2 quarters of the plate. Half the plate is for fruits and vegetables. They note that potatoes do not count as vegetables (sorry mom). ¼ of the plate is for whole grains. This would be things like whole wheat pasta or multigrain breads. The final ¼ of the plate is set aside for “healthy” proteins, such as fish, chicken, beans, and nuts. They recommend limiting your red meats and cheese.
What about everything else? Well, they recommend you use healthy plant oils in moderation. For drinks, they recommend water, coffee, or tea. You can have 1-2 daily servings of dairy and 1 small glass of juice. Avoid sugary drinks.
If You Eat Sugar on the Healthy Eating Plate is it Cheating?
So, sugary treats and refined wheat products are not listed in the healthy eating plate. If I eat a cupcake, am I cheating? The answer is no. Why not? Because they look at this as a lifestyle choice – a way of eating that keeps things in moderation. Hmmm. So, the macros should work out to approximately 75% carbs (whole grains, fruits and vegetables), 25% protein, and a few smatterings of fat thrown in. That seems kind of restrictive to me.
I looked into this before we turned to keto because I knew I needed to make better choices. FYI, plates on Amazon that divide your meal into the right portion sizes are crazy expensive! Here was my issue; it wasn’t making a difference in my mindset. I ate more whole grains. I ate way more fruits, because I craved sweetness. The vegetables I did eat were sweet, like peas and corn. And because I was eating “better” I treated myself to the occasional ice cream or donut. I mean, hey, it’s not cheating, right?
The Basics of Keto
With keto, we pretty much change the macros so we eat 75% fats, 20% protein, and 5% carbs. The protein is similar, although we suggest fattier cuts of meat. Fat and carbs are basically just switched. So, it’s different, but I don’t see it as more restrictive. It still takes time and planning to do it right.
If You Eat Sugar on Keto is it Cheating?
Like I said up above, I hate the word cheating. You cheat on a diet. You don’t cheat on a lifestyle. Will it kick you out of ketosis if you eat a cupcake? Maybe. Can you get right back into ketosis? Probably. Just the same as if you eat a cupcake on the healthy eating plate, you will feel gross and wonder why you did that to yourself. Then, you move on. And you decide you want to go back into ketosis (or the healthy eating plate) and you keep going in life.
I had one “cheat day” on keto in the 2.5 years we’ve been doing it. I made a plan to go out and eat all the things I had been craving – ice cream, French fries, and Pepsi. Two things happened. Firstly, I didn’t feel good for the next several days. Secondly, the stuff I had been craving didn’t really taste that good anymore. I was no longer eating sugar, and so the crap I ate just tasted way too sweet. That’s all I could taste. I missed the many flavours I’m used to now, and the enhancement of those flavours by the fat I eat.
If You Eat the Typical American Diet, is it Cheating?
Here’s the thing; people don’t eat the healthy plate any more than they do other diets. Let’s be clear, the standard American diet consists of processed foods, added sugar, fried foods, and sodium. There is no place for any of that in healthy eating. But, that’s what we are eating.
As a society, we are sugar addicts. We go for processed foods that add salt. We look for shortcuts to give us more time, rather than focusing on providing nutrients to our body so we can enjoy our lives. That is the issue – not whether or not someone “cheats” on keto once and it takes a couple of days to get back into ketosis.
I’m not a dietician or a scientist, but I know what works for me, and that’s keto. It helps me focus on food as an important part of my life. Keto keeps me from slipping into my old ways of eating, which includes eating McDonalds once a week and grabbing an ice cream for dessert. It makes me more conscious of what I’m putting in my body. My problem was never cheating on a diet – it was eating what should be a cheat day meal each and every day.
Wendy
